Protection
by OncExUpoNxAxNightwisH
Summary: It will be alright, Lord Lu Bu. Soon, soon we will be together again and nothing will ever tear as apart again. I promise, Lord Lu Bu.     She promises because, she could never betray him, not like Zhang Liao...   DCxLB R&R please :D


**Yeah I know, I should be working on Ling Tong and Sun Shang Xiang, but I got this into my head and it wouldn't go away until it was completely written down... and since I don't think it's all that bad, I decided to put it up for all of you to read :)**

**In all honesty, it didn't really turn out how I wanted it to and I am kinda dissapointed in it :/  
But hopefully, whoever decides to read this will like it :D**

**Well, enjoy, I gues...**

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* * *

**Protection

Her once beautiful pink dress was tattered and dirty. Her once beautifully painted face plain and covered with dirt and dried blood. Lifting an aching arm, she brushed her tangled dirty dark brown hair out of her face.

"Have you changed your mind yet Diao Chan?"

Diao Chan's eyes flickered up and rested on Cao Cao's face and hardened into a glare.

"I will never change my mind." She spat, clenching her fists together.

Cao Cao huffed and turned back towards the door of her prison cell.

"Fine then, have it your way. I will send for you in the morning and your sentence will be carried out."

Cao Cao flicked his cape behind him and left the cell, slamming the door behind him. Diao Chan kept her eyes on the door, her bottom lip trembling. She knew what her sentence was; she knew what would happen to her if she didn't agree to join him. But she couldn't, she just couldn't. How could she ever, after what they did to Lu Bu.

"_Lord Lu Bu!" _

"_Diao Chan!" Lu Bu called back, looking at her with wide eyes._

_Growling, he turned his head and looked up at the man standing arrogantly before him. "Let her go Cao Cao you dog!" _

"_Hush Lu Bu, remember, you are in no position to yell at me. You are the one bound by robes, not I." Cao Cao answered, frowning down at him._

"_Lord Lu Bu, she'll be fine. I promise." Zhang Liao whispered from he was, kneeling beside him._

_Diao Chan struggled against Xiahou Yuan, who was firmly holding her arms. _

"_Let me go! Let us go! We haven't done anything wrong!" She cried._

"_Haven't done anything wrong? You're dog of a lord stole my brother's castle!" Zhang Fei shouted._

"_Zhang Fei." Liu Bei chastised, frowning at his younger brother._

"_So Lu Bu, what shall we do with you." Cao Cao asked, taking a step closer to him._

"_Let us go. I'll give Liu Bei back his castle, just give me time to clear out my things and I'll be out of your hair." Lu Bu answered._

"_Don't just let him go! As soon as we do that, he'll just go and take over someone else's castle!" Zhang Fei cried, walking forward. "I say we kill him and put us all out of our misery." _

"_Zhang Fei!" Liu Bei cried, shocked at his brother's brash sentence. _

"_No!" Diao Chan cried, struggling harder against Xiahou Yuan's grip._

"_Zhang Fei has a point. Lu Bu can't be trusted, he's betrayed and killed two people already and both those men he considered to be his father. We can't trust him not to betray another lord and we can't trust him not to try and steal someone else's castle. Now, I don't know about the rest of you, but I certainly don't want another enemy to defeat. We have him at our mercy now, might as well get rid of him before he causes us anymore trouble." Guan Yu said, looking between them all._

_Lu Bu growled and struggled in his binds. _

"_Just let us go, I'm not going to do anything!" He cried._

"_Please, please! Just let us go! We won't get in any of your way, I promise! We-we'll go somewhere, out in the country and live there and you won't ever here from any of us again, I promise!" Diao Chan cried. "Please, I promise you, just let us go!"_

"_Silence!" Cao Cao shouted, frowning harshly at everyone. "Are you really so ignorant that you truly think that Lu Bu could go and live in the country and not cause anyone any trouble for the rest of his life, Diao Chan?" _

"_I-I…" Diao Chan stuttered, looking wide eyed at Cao Cao. _

_Cao Cao sighed and shook his head. "I guess it doesn't matter that you're ignorant Diao Chan. I'm not about to let Lu Bu roam free. Only a fool would do that."_

"_What are we going to do with him Lord Cao Cao?" Liu Bei asked, looking anxiously at him._

"_We're going to do exactly what your brother Zhang Fei suggested we should do." Cao Cao answered. "We're going to kill him."_

"_No!" Diao Chan cried, struggling to break free of Xiahou Yuan's iron grip. _

"_Zhang Fei, since it was your suggestion. Would you like the honour of ending this vile man's existence?" Cao Cao asked, smirking down at Lu Bu's harsh glare._

"_You can't just kill me, I'm a human being! I could help you end the chaos!" Lu Bu growled, shouting at Cao Cao._

_Cao Cao raised an eyebrow at him. "I think not Lu Bu and besides, Ding Yuan and Dong Zhou were human beings as well. But that didn't stop you from ending their lives and that doesn't stop you from ending the lives of thousands of innocent soldiers that you happen to meet on the battlefield. Why should I show you any mercy?" _

"_Because I can help you, I can help you put an end to this chaos and unify the land under your rule!" Lu Bu shouted._

"_Help me? I don't suppose you mean that you'll help me just like you _helped _Ding Yuan and Dong Zhou? I think not Lu Bu; I'd rather kill you while I have the chance before you kill me." Cao Cao spat, glaring down at Lu Bu._

"_Please, please don't kill him!" Diao Chan cried, tears pouring down her face._

_Cao Cao turned his head to look over at the trembling Diao Chan. "I wish I could say I was sorry for this Diao Chan, but I'm not." He sighed. "Hang him."_

"_No!" _

"No, no, no, no, no! Lord Lu Bu…" Diao Chan cried, burying her head in her hands.

Her body shook with her muffled sobs, her face streaked with the tears that poured down it and soaked her clothes. The door of cell creaked open again and her eyes widened in shock when she realised who was standing before her.

"Zhang Liao…" She whispered. "Wha-what are you doing here?"

"I've come to talk to you, change your mind about not joining Cao Cao." He replied, kneeling down in front of her.

Diao Chan clenched her teeth and glared at him. "I will never betray Lord Lu Bu and join that man!"

"Diao Chan please, I promised Lu Bu that I would protect you. If we both join Cao Cao, we can buy our time until we rebel against him and kill him in honour of Lord Lu Bu. But I cannot do it without you Diao Chan, please reconsider."

Diao Chan looked away from him and looked at the dirty stone floor of her prison cell. "I can't, I can't join him. Not even for a second."

Zhang Liao placed his hands on her shoulders, causing to look at him. "Please Diao Chan, be reasonable. You don't have to have anything to do with Cao Cao; you don't even have to live in the same castle as him. Just join him so you can save yourself."

Diao Chan closed her eyes and shook her weary head. "I can't do it Zhang Liao. You may be able to betray Lord Lu Bu by joining Cao Cao, but I cannot."

"I'm not betraying Lord Lu Bu; I only joined Cao Cao to keep myself alive so that I can be around to protect you like Lord Lu Bu asked me to."

"I can't, I can't do it." She whispered.

"Yes you can Diao Chan, I'll go get Cao Cao, then you tell him that you'll join him and all will be well."

"I said I can't! I can't join that man, not even for a second."

Zhang Liao swallowed the lump in his throat and closed his eyes for a few seconds. "Just try for a day then. Tell him you'll join him, while I go get supplies. Then he'll let you out, I'll come find you and later tonight, when everyone has gone to sleep. We'll go down to Jiang Dong and seek help from Sun Ce so that we can destroy Cao Cao!"

Diao Chan squeezed her eyes shut even tighter and shook her head furiously. "No, I can't join any of them. All of them hunted us; all of them wanted us dead. We can't trust and we can't join any of them. It doesn't matter who it is, we'll end up betraying Lord Lu Bu no matter what."

"Th-then we…we'll go down to Nanzhong and live amongst the Nanman people!" Zhang Liao cried, growing frantic as he was running out of options.

Diao Chan slowly shook her head. "I will work under no one, other than my Lord Lu Bu."

"Di-Diao Chan, pl-please, be reasonable! Refusing to work under anyone other Lord Lu Bu will only get you killed. Please, for Lord Lu Bu's sake, agree to join someone so that you can be protected and stay alive!" Zhang Liao cried.

Diao Chan slowly opened her eyes and frowned at Zhang Liao. "I said no."

"But Diao Chan!"

"I said no!" She spat. "Now leave."

"Diao Chan!"

"Get out Zhang Liao, I don't want to see you and I certainly don't want to talk to you!"

"But Diao Chan, if you would just consider-"

"I said get out!" She screamed, her eyes wide and breathing erratic.

Zhang Liao sighed sadly and stood up. "Fine then, have it your way."

Diao Chan was breathing heavily and her right eye was twitching as she watched Zhang Liao walk out of her cell.

* * *

Her cell door creaked open, letting in a bit of the early morning light. Diao Chan's weary eyes flickered open to rest upon the man that had disturbed her finally peaceful sleep. Cao Cao stood in the room escorted by two guards with spears, looking scornfully down her crumbled body. Groaning, she lifted her tired aching body and sat up, facing Cao Cao.

"Have you changed your mind Diao Chan?" He asked.

"I will never change my mind." She spat, glaring harshly at him.

"Fine then, have it your way." Cao Cao answered, signalling the guards to grab her.

The guards walked over to her and grabbed her roughly by the arms and began dragging her from the room. Diao Chan struggled to gain her footing as she was dragged through the dungeon and upstairs towards the main part of the castle. Cao Cao strode ahead her, his head held high and his stride showing off the arrogance he obtained. Diao Chan groaned and squeezed her eyes shut to the blinding sun as they led her out of the dimly lit castle into the bright early morning sun outside. Hearing the distant sound of chatter, Diao Chan swallowed the lump in her throat and opened her eyes. Gaining her footing, she held her head high as she walked inevitably towards her impending fate.

Zhang Liao quickly made his way through the thick crowd of people towards the front. His breath hitched when he saw Diao Chan, escorted by two guards make her way towards the wooden platform. Breaking into a run, he sprinted towards where Diao Chan was walking.

"Diao Chan, please, there is still a chance to change your mind and save yourself. Please, stop been foolish and join me." Zhang Liao begged.

Diao Chan scoffed. "I would rather die than join a dog like Cao Cao, unlike you Zhang Liao. I would never lower myself to working under such a man, I would rather die."

"But you worked for Lord Dong Zhou."

"I did that for the good of the land, I see no gain in working for Cao Cao." Diao Chan answered, continuing to walk forward.

"But Diao Chan!" Zhang Liao cried.

"I have made up my mind Zhang Liao, and there is nothing you can do to change it."

Zhang Liao stopped, his heart pounding within his chest as he watched her walk up the stairs onto the wooden platform. No matter what he did, he would never get her to change her mind and he couldn't try and reason with Lord Cao Cao. No, Lord Cao Cao was too merciless to spare her and he found too much enjoyment in this. Zhang Liao closed his eyes and bowed his head.

"I'm sorry, Lord Lu Bu." He muttered.

Cao Cao made his way up onto the wooden platform and walked towards Diao Chan, stopping a few inches in front of where she stood.

"I'm giving you one last chance Diao Chan, change your mind and join me."

Diao Chan raised her head higher, giving Cao Cao a disgusted look.

"As I have told you before, I will never join you. I would rather die a hundred deaths then work for a dog like you." She spat.

Cao Cao glared harshly at her and scoffed. "You won't work under me, yet you worked under both Dong Zhou and Lu Bu. Interesting, you clearly have been highly misinformed on which men are nothing but vile worms on this land and which are majestic phoenixes, girl. You could have been reinformed, but you chose not too. Oh well, it's your loss."

With a flick of his cape, Cao Cao turned away and took his place amongst the crowd. Diao Chan took a deep breath and turned her sight towards her impending fate. The guards roughly took hold of her arms and made her walk forward. Diao Chan held her head high as she walked forward and kept it up as she stopped over the wooden trap door beneath her feet. She kept her eyes of the horizon, watching the beautiful rising sun as the guards placed a thick rope around her neck and tightened it.

Zhang Liao watched on in horror as the guards placed the thick rope around her neck, tighten it and walk away. He turned his eyes towards his new lord and they widened when they saw the look on his face. Cao Cao was sitting on his makeshift throne, smirking at Diao Chan's predicament. He was actually enjoying this. Zhang Liao swallowed the lump in his throat and looked back at Diao Chan, tears brimming his eyes.

Diao Chan breathed in deeply, keeping her eyes on the sunrise. Never, never would she join that dog of a man, Cao Cao. No, not ever. She would never betray Lord Lu Bu like that. No, not ever.

_It will be alright, Lord Lu Bu. Soon, soon we will be together again and nothing will ever tear as apart again. I promise, Lord Lu Bu. _

* * *

Zhang Liao dropped to his knees in the dirt and rested his hand on the stone in front of him.

"Lord Lu Bu…" He muttered, running his hand over the engraved writing on the stone.

He bowed his head, squeezing his eyes shut and dug his fingers into the freshly dug dirt. Just over a week ago his previous lord's dead body was placed in the ground beneath him, just over a week ago. Zhang Liao raised his head, breathing heavily and looked at the engraved writing of Lu Bu's name. Hot tears ran slowly down his cheek and his bottom lip trembled.

"Lord Lu Bu, I…I failed you…" He whispered, sobbing. "I failed to protect her, Lord Lu Bu…"

Zhang Liao scoffed. "That's all you asked me to do before…before you died… _protect her Zhang Liao, don't let anyone harm her_… That's all you asked me to do… protect her, and I… I failed you!" He cried, banging his fist on the ground.

"I failed you Lord Lu Bu, and now…and now she's…she's gone, just like you… Now, you're…you're both gone… Because I failed… I failed to keep them out of the castle like you asked and I failed to protect her…like you asked me…"

Zhang Liao sniffed before scoffing. "Some great general and friend I turned out to be… I failed to protect the one thing that meant the world to you… You're probably tossing in your grave right now, am I right? Am I right, Lord Lu Bu?"

Zhang Liao leaned forward and rested his forehead on top of the cold tombstone. "I failed you, Lord Lu Bu... I… I failed you…"

* * *

**I think my problem with this is the ending... It could have been way better, but my writing skills decided to kinda disappear on me and that's the best I could seem to do :/**

**Oh well, it'll do :) **

**Also, I never thought that I would write a story that focusses on these characters :/ then again, I never thought that I would write a story that focussed on Zhen Ji and Cao Pi either... but I wrote Suicide Note :/  
Oh well, these things happen, I guess XD**

**Review please :D**


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